One Fix for Low Book Design Budgets

March 16th, 2011

I rail against people who want to self-publish on a dime all the time. At first you might take that for self-interest overcoming my ability to just play nice. Truth is, however, I’m in the corner of self-publishers. I want them to be taken seriously. Further truth is that many readers—certainly professional reviewers—still have reservations about self-published books. And this may directly affect book sales.

So my sense of things dictates that proper attention ought to be paid to design and production values. Templated, one-size-fits-all stylings, I am certain, do nothing to separate any book, especially self-published ones, from the pack.

I also occasionally feel it is my duty to remind self-publishers that they do not simply publish there book. The act of publishing even one book means they now exist as a publishing company. Whether they like it or not, they have chosen to establish a business. I usually go on to conclude that, to survive and, indeed, succeed, a business needs to be properly capitalized so as to afford necessary supplies and services.

That doesn’t often make a difference. Even I realize that if a person doesn’t have money, they simply cannot afford things, whether needs or not.

Well, comes along Writers for the Red Cross. And, sadly, their timing is as right as rain, what with the scary turn of events in Japan. Writers for the Red Cross is holding their online auction to raise money for possibly one of the two greatest, legitimate charitable endeavors (in my estimation). And pro bono work for them is the kind of thing I have in mind when I rant against crowdsourced and spec work.

So for those of you who want to work with a professional book designer, with whom I’ve had initial talks but proven too pricey for your budget, an item on this week’s Writers for the Red Cross online auction that may be of interest is my book interior design and layout item.

Entry Filed under: book design,free tools,self-publishing